


My Ear's Candy

by UntoldTruths



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: 2YEON - Freeform, 2yeon is the confident gay vs panicked gay meme, F/F, Fluff, Yoo Jeongyeon Pining, dahmo, dahmo being the dumbass ship, fluff???, idk it could be considered fluff, jeongyeon being the dumbass wlw stereotype, jeongyeon is WHIPPED
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-10-21 20:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UntoldTruths/pseuds/UntoldTruths
Summary: Yoo Jeongyeon would rather ignore her strange feelings toward Im Nayeon entirely, but she is forced to navigate them when the two perform a very girl-crush version of an old kpop favorite.





	1. "Nayeon Unnie, You're a Pain in My Ass"

“La la, la la la la la la la la, la la”

Jeongyeon swung her hips to the familiar lyrics blaring through the speakers, royal blue lights flashing around her in sync to the beat. A bead of sweat dripped from her forehead down to her ear. She’d been rehearsing for hours, and it was beginning to take its toll on her body. No mic to her mouth, she took the opportunity to catch her breath. Still, her brain was cloudy from the exhaustion, which to Jeongyeon’s discomfort, also left her willpower weakened.

It was no more strengthened by the fact that this was a dress rehearsal, meaning giant boxy sunglasses hid her gaze from the others, leaving her with no fear of judgement or suspicion. Her eyes wandered as she turned her body to the opposite side, sneaking hazy glances at one Im Nayeon beside her. Long, silky black hair swayed side to side with her hips, accentuated perfectly by a flashy silver bodycon dress.

Jeongyeon snapped back to reality. It was time for her least favorite part of the routine: the ending. Reluctantly, she ripped off her sunglasses and tossed them to the side. She avoided Nayeon’s sultry gaze as the girl turned to her and rested her arms across her shoulders.

 _How is she so good at acting?_ Jeongyeon thought. She’d have to ask her sister for some tips the next time she got the chance. She wrapped shaky arms around Nayeon’s waist. The girl was staring into Jeongyeon’s soul, but Jeongyeon’s soul refused to stare back. Now, in hindsight, directing her eyes to Nayeon’s chest probably wasn’t the best idea, but her head was too foggy to come up with a better solution.

Nayeon leaned forward until her face was millimeters from Jeongyeon’s. Jeongyeon shrunk her body inward and released nervous laughter as the lights dimmed to black.

She removed her hands and turned away as the overhead lights switched on, but Nayeon was a tease. She grabbed Jeongyeon’s face and pulled her back in, lips puckered out as far as they could go. Jeongyeon scrunched up her face and pushed Nayeon away. Nayeon giggled, releasing her grip.

“Good work ladies, that’s all for today,” their manager said through a mic.

“Ah,” Jeongyeon gasped, bending her knees and hunching over, grabbing them. She hung her head and closed her eyes as she panted. Nayeon rubbed a hand up and down Jeongyeon’s back, hunching a bit herself and catching her breath. A member of the stage crew came to collect their handheld mics. Nayeon quickly bowed her head to him, unable to manage much else. 

Finally able to catch her breath, Jeongyeon stood upright and flipped her bobbed blonde hair back, running a hand through it with one final sigh. Nayeon continued to rub Jeongyeon’s back, keeping a watchful eye on her.

“You worked hard today,” Nayeon said between breaths. “You should rest.”

“What about you?” Jeongyeon asked, furrowing her brows at Nayeon. “Aren’t you just as exhausted?”

“Don’t worry about me, worry about getting some rest.”

“I will rest if you rest,” Jeongyeon stated firmly.

“Deal,” Nayeon replied, pulling a sweaty strand of hair out of her face, “we will sleep together. I get to be big spoon.”

“Ah, you’re such a tease.” Jeongyeon pushed Nayeon’s shoulder weakly with one hand as Nayeon started to walk off stage. Nayeon whipped around and stopped.

“Hey, is that any way to treat your lover?” Nayeon teased, pointing at her shoulder. 

“Nayeon-ahhh,” Jeongyeon whined, throwing her head back and trudging backstage. Nayeon walked with her.

“Nayeon _unnie!_ ” Nayeon corrected, pushing Jeongyeon’s shoulder. Jeongyeon stumbled sideways. “None of you ever respect me as an elder, you could at least do that.”

“Nayeon unnie?” Jeongyeon asked, turning her head to face Nayeon.

“Yes Jeongyeon?”

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

Nayeon scrunched up her face and lightly smacked Jeongyeon’s head. Jeongyeon laughed as she cowered and stumbled away, that same breathy laugh that was so infectious, especially to Nayeon. Nayeon pouted and faced forward, speeding to her dressing room.

“Hey, I did what you asked!” Jeongyeon called after her. Nayeon continued in silence, sticking her nose up in the air. “Unnie! Let’s change quickly so we can go home and rest soon!”

“Hey, I’m the unnie, I should get to decide what we do, and my decision is we change quickly,” Nayeon replied, stifling a laugh as she shuffled quickly into her dressing room and shutting the door. Jeongyeon giggled and shook her head, making her way to her own dressing room.

As she shut the door, she closed her eyes and leaned back against it for a moment, sighing loudly. She removed her high waisted shorts and flashy crop top in favor of a white striped tee and black overalls. After hanging the outfit and gathering her things into her backpack, she made way to Nayeon’s dressing room. She knocked lightly on the door.

“Nayeon, are you ready?” Jeongyeon asked.

“Almost,” Nayeon replied, “you can come in here while you wait.”

Jeongyeon twisted the knob and slid in so that the door didn’t open any more than it needed to for her to enter. She squinted and looked away as soon as she saw Nayeon. “Nayeon-ah!”

Nayeon was applying a lip gloss in the mirror, with only a bra covering her top half. She rubbed her lips together and smacked them, then turned around to Jeongyeon. “What?”

“You could have warned me!” Jeongyeon groaned.

“You act like you’ve never seen a bra before, don’t you wear them?” Nayeon replied.

Jeongyeon, flustered, continued to look at the floor. “It’s just weird, put on a shirt.”

“I will, after I apply more powder.”

“Why did you apply makeup before you put your top on?” Jeongyeon asked.

“What are you, my mother? I put on my jeans and noticed I’d sweat some of it off, so I went ahead and reapplied before I forgot.”

“Okay, can I look yet?”

“Well you’re always welcome to.” Nayeon smirked.

“Nayeon-ah!”

“I haven’t had time to apply my powder because I’ve been busy explaining myself to you!” Nayeon teased.

“Okay, no more questions, just hurry, I’m tired,” Jeongyeon pleaded.

Nayeon turned back around and leaned over the table to get closer to the mirror as she powdered her nose.

Jeongyeon was weak. She caught a glimpse of Nayeon in an adjacent mirror and couldn’t redirect her focus. It was so wrong, so rude of her to just stare, but it wasn’t much of a conscious choice. The woman was built like a sculpture, and she was merely admiring a work of art.

“There,” Nayeon said, snapping Jeongyeon out of her trance. Jeongyeon whipped her head back down as Nayeon stood up straight and preened her hair. The older grabbed a button up shirt and fastened it down the middle, tucking the front into her jeans. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Took you long enough.” Jeongyeon picked her head up.

“I ought to take longer to gather my stuff on purpose just to spite you,” Nayeon snapped.

“You look beautiful unnie,” Jeongyeon said, bowing.

Nayeon smiled in content and quickly threw her things together. The two headed out the door.

 _You really do..._ Jeongyeon thought.


	2. Relentless

The two shared a sigh as they settled into the back seat of the car. They giggled at their synchronization and collapsed into the leather seats.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Jeongyeon said.

Nayeon’s heart picked up it’s pace, ever so subtly. She turned her head towards the younger. “What?”

Jeongyeon turned to face her. “I will rest if you rest.” She pointed to herself, then to Nayeon, poking her forearm.

“Oh,” Nayeon sighed, looking at the ceiling. “I’m not tired.”

“Oh come on,” Jeongyeon whined, nudging Nayeon’s arm.

“I’m not,” Nayeon insisted, crossing her arms.

“Fine, then I will not rest.” Jeongyeon copied Nayeon, crossing her arms and looking at the ceiling.

“You’re tired, you rest,” Nayeon demanded, looking at Jeongyeon again.

“Nope. Not unless you do.”

Nayeon huffed. She uncrossed her arms and grabbed onto one of Jeongyeon’s, laying her head on the younger’s shoulder.

Jeongyeon raised her eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

“Resting,” Nayeon replied, closing her eyes and snuggling into Jeongyeon.

“Not on me!” Jeongyeon whined. She attempted to shrug her off, but Nayeon was relentless. She wasn’t budging. Jeongyeon sighed and threw her head back, shutting her eyes.

Nayeon was asleep in seconds. Jeongyeon, however, could not seem to drift off. Defeated, she resorted to staring out the window to pass the time. Seoul was lit up by now, but that wasn’t what caught her eye. Rather, it was their own reflection in the window.   
Nayeon slept so beautifully. What a shame she was so unaware of it. She would never know just how simply breathtaking she was when lost in her dreams. And here she was, this beautiful creature, claiming Jeongyeon as her bed. It felt… right, yet it didn’t. For how did Jeongyeon become so deserving?

Deserving. Right. As if this wasn’t punishment. At least, that’s what Jeongyeon insisted to herself, shaking her previous thoughts away. But really, how wasn’t this punishment? She was now stuck in one position, unable to shift into a more comfortable one, with Nayeon’s head weighing down on her shoulder, her right arm rendered completely unusable, forced to stare at the reflection of the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.

Yup. Torture.

“Nayeon-ah,” Jeongyeon whispered.

“Hm?” Nayeon mumbled.

“My arm’s falling asleep,” she lied.

“Mm.” Nayeon patted Jeongyeon’s arm softly three times. “Wake up,” she muttered.

“That wasn’t the solution I had in mind.” Jeongyeon frowned.

“Mhm,” Nayeon whispered. She yawned softly and drifted back into her slumber.

Jeongyeon gave up. She was stuck until this car ride was over, and when it was, she did not hesitate to make her move. She jostled the elder awake.

“Unnie, we’re here,” Jeongyeon said at her normal volume.

Nayeon groaned and put her arm over her face to shield her eyes from the car light.

“If you get up you can go sleep in your bed,” Jeongyeon persuaded.

“Mm-mm.” Nayeon shook her head.

“What?”

“This is better.”

Jeongyeon groaned. “We have to get out of the car,” Jeongyeon pleaded, anxiously eyeing the driver.

Nayeon sighed. “If I get up will you eat with me?”

“Eat wi– what?”

“I made jjajangmyeon earlier, I saved it for us.”

“You ma–” Jeongyeon eyed the driver again. “Okay, yes, fine, I will eat with you.”

“Daebak!” Nayeon cheered, springing up and shuffling out of the car. 

Jeongyeon sighed and thanked the driver, bowing her head and following after Nayeon. Would she ever escape this woman’s tricks?

No. Definitely not.

Jeongyeon tapped her nails on the table as she waited for Nayeon to serve her well-hyped dish. The elder placed a bowl in front of her, and another on the opposite side. She then set down a pair of chopsticks next to both. Jeongyeon picked hers up as Nayeon sat.

“Ah ah ah,” Nayeon scolded. Jeongyeon looked up and furrowed her brows as Nayeon picked up her own chopsticks and grabbed noodles from Jeongyeon’s bowl. “Open.”

“I said I would eat with you, I didn’t say you could feed me.” Jeongyeon picked up more noodles, but Nayeon smacked her chopsticks with her own. “Seriously?”

“Chef gets to feed you the first bite,” Nayeon insisted.

“Since when is that a rule?”

“Since I decided just now. Open.”

Jeongyeon sighed. Relentless. She begrudgingly opened her mouth and allowed Nayeon to feed her the first bite of noodles. She slurped them up, covering her mouth with her hand. She glanced up at Nayeon, who was staring at her like an elated child who’d just drawn her mom a picture. As she looked back down and chewed, her eyes widened.

“Woah,” Jeongyeon exclaimed, “this tastes amazing! You made this?”

“Well don’t act so surprised... but yes, yes I did!” Nayeon lit up, revealing her bunny smile as she bounced in her seat. She was sickeningly adorable when excited.

“You did well, Nayeon,” Jeongyeon said, nodding her head and shoveling more into her mouth.

“I know!” Nayeon squeaked, finally taking a bite of her own. “Mmmm,” she exclaimed as she chewed. “I am so hungry.”

Jeongyeon chuckled. “I didn’t even realize I was until I started eating.”

“You’re welcome.” Nayeon grinned.

“Thank you.” Jeongyeon bowed her head.

Nayeon giggled and stuffed more into her mouth, her grin widening as she swallowed. “I would make the perfect girlfriend, huh?”

Jeongyeon covered her mouth as she swallowed hard. She coughed.

“I could make dinner every night for us,” Nayeon continued, moving her noodles around and taking another mouthful.

“You and your boyfriend?” Jeongyeon asked.

Nayeon paused and looked up at the younger. “Whoever, I guess.” She looked back down to her bowl and shifted her noodles around.

“What do you mean?”

Nayeon paused again. She looked up. “Nothing.” She shifted her gaze back to the food in front of her and took another portion into her mouth. “I would though, wouldn’t I?” she said after swallowing.

Jeongyeon only managed to glance up at Nayeon as she nodded. Nayeon smiled. That was enough for her, at least for now.


	3. "Flirting is never a waste of time!"

“Jihyo,” Nayeon whispered at the head of Jihyo’s bed. “Jihyo-yah!”

Jihyo bolted awake with a gasp, eyes wide open. “What? What is it? What’s wrong?” she panicked. The dimly lit world around her spun, vision slowly coming into focus as she propped herself up on one arm. She pressed her eyes closed and opened them wide again, blinking a few times.

“No no, nothing’s wrong,” Nayeon whispered. “But you've gotta keep your voice down.” She glanced over to Sana and Mina, still asleep.

Jihyo sighed in relief, relaxing her shoulders. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Wait, what time is it?” she whispered, scanning the room for a clock.

“About 6 am,” Nayeon replied.

Jihyo squinted out the window, the sun peaking through the curtains. She groaned. “Ah, what on earth are you waking me up at 6 am for if there’s nothing wrong?” Jihyo flopped back down onto her pillow.

“I need some advice… but I can’t let them hear it.” Nayeon glanced over at Sana and Mina, still asleep, as Jihyo followed her gaze.

Jihyo sighed. “Sit,” she instructed, sitting up and sliding over to make room for Nayeon. Nayeon climbed onto the bed and sat as close to Jihyo as she could. Jihyo yawned. “What is it?”

“How do you let someone know you like them?” Nayeon asked.

Jihyo raised her eyebrows at Nayeon. “And you need to know this because?”

“Well I feel like I keep sending signals, but I’m just not getting the message across.”

“And you haven’t considered why, perhaps, you shouldn’t? For example, _the dating ban?_ ” Jihyo snapped.

Nayeon’s eyes widened. She placed her pointer finger over Jihyo’s mouth. Jihyo looked down at Nayeon’s hand, one eyebrow low, one high. Nayeon looked behind her to identify the source of the rustling noises she’d heard.

“What’s going on?” Sana mumbled, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a frizzy mess. She began to sit up as Nayeon jumped off the bed and made her way to Sana’s.

“Shhhh,” Nayeon said as she tiptoed over. She knelt next to Sana’s face. “You’re having a dream,” she whispered.

“I am?” Sana asked. She stretched her arms and yawned again. Her eyes opened wide as Nayeon’s hand covered her mouth.

“Yes, but now you’re aware that you’re dreaming, so you can control it. You can go anywhere you want!” Nayeon whispered. “All you have to do is think of where you wanna go, and then ‘go back to sleep.’” Nayeon made air quotes with her fingers.

“Okay,” Sana whispered, grinning. “Thank you, dream Nayeon.”

“Don’t thank me, thank yourself!” Nayeon nodded slowly. Sana nodded back in rhythm.

“Right. Thank you, Sana.” Sana laid back down and closed her eyes. Nayeon waited a few seconds before deciding she was in the clear and making her way back to Jihyo’s bed.

“That was close,” Nayeon said as she sat down.

Jihyo crossed her arms and eyed Nayeon in silence.

“What?” Nayeon asked, tilting her head just slightly.

Jihyo lowered one eyebrow and raised the other, poking her tongue into her cheek.

“The dating ban is bound to be lifted soon anyway!” Nayeon defended, prompting Jihyo to roll her eyes. “Besides, no one will find out… _right?_ ” Nayeon looked at Jihyo with sad eyes.

Jihyo leaned back and cocked her head. “If you’re asking me to keep this a secret…” Jihyo began.

Nayeon blinked several times, quickly. 

“Which, as the leader of this group, would be irresponsible of me…” Jihyo continued.

Nayeon stuck out her bottom lip and raised her eyebrows.

Jihyo sighed and hung her head. “Then I will—” Nayeon perked up and grinned, clasping her hands tightly in front of her chin. “—under some conditions!” Jihyo raised her head and held her pointer finger in the air.

Nayeon nodded quickly and sat back to listen attentively, dropping her hands in her lap. 

“This stays strictly between the two of us,” Jihyo said firmly, “And if you get caught — which you will do everything in your power to prevent from happening — I knew absolutely nothing about this.” She pointed a stern finger at Nayeon.

“Of course!” Nayeon nodded several times. “I promise!”

Jihyo sighed, blinking slowly. “As for your question, I would recommend telling them.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Nayeon pouted, slumping her shoulders.

Jihyo cocked an eyebrow. “You get to find out if you’re wasting your time or not.”

“Flirting is never a waste of time!” Nayeon furrowed her brows.

“You asked my advice,” Jihyo said with a shrug. She began to crawl back under the covers.

“Well what other options are there? There’s gotta be something,” Nayeon pleaded, leaning forward and giving Jihyo those desperate puppy dog eyes again.

Jihyo sighed and threw her head back. She sat back up and turned to face Nayeon dead on. She paused for a moment to think before she spoke. “If your signals haven’t worked, I guess you need to send bigger signals. Be as obvious as you can without saying it outright.”

“Now that’s a plan!” Nayeon smiled and embraced Jihyo so tightly that the leader could hardly breathe.

“But—” Jihyo said through a gasp. Nayeon released her grip and perked back up to listen. “You have to realize, Nayeon: if a person wants to be with you, they’ll acknowledge the hints you’re giving. But if they don’t, they might just not say anything. In most cases, if you’re putting in all this effort with no reward, it’s best you just move on.”

Nayeon nodded. Her face and shoulders dropped, and she stared into her lap.

“Hey now, don’t get so discouraged,” Jihyo said, picking Nayeon’s chin up with her fingertips. “Whatever happens is meant to happen.”

“I know." Nayeon shrugged. She rubbed her forearm and avoided eye contact. "I just really want what’s meant to happen to be that we end up together.”

Jihyo nodded and relaxed her shoulders. She put a hand on Nayeon’s knee. Nayeon perked up her head again and Jihyo looked her dead in the eyes. “You are Im Nayeon, center and face of the nation’s girl group. You’ve got a killer voice, glass skin, and those cute little bunny teeth of yours that everyone adores.”

Nayeon couldn’t help her toothy smile.

“There they are!” Jihyo said with a grin, pointing to Nayeon’s mouth. Nayeon giggled. “Anyone in the world would be lucky to have you," Jihyo assured. "Don’t you forget it.”

Nayeon took a deep breath out and smiled. She nodded. “Thank you, Jihyo. You’re the best.”

Jihyo opened her arms and gently stroked Nayeon's hair as the eldest accepted the embrace. “JYP didn’t make me leader for nothin’,” Jihyo teased. She patted Nayeon's head. “You’re welcome.”

Nayeon exhaled again and crawled out of Jihyo’s bed to return to her own. “Goodnight,” she whispered, climbing up the ladder to her bunk. Jihyo was already fast asleep. Nayeon crawled under the covers and faced the wall, brainstorming the new methods she was soon to implore.


	4. "Those two get weirder every day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I am SO sorry that my depressed ass took so long to update this. If you're still reading thank you so much for being patient and bearing with me, and thank you for all your kind words in the comments! You all are so lovely!

The Pink Panther theme song played on loop in Dahyun's head as she tiptoed down the hallway of the dorm. She stepped in rhythm to the notes, pausing every so often to take a long, exaggerated scan of her surroundings to be sure no one else was awake to spot her. Her steps, though light, were long in stride, as she needed to reach her destination quickly, and the Pink Panther theme didn't exactly have the fastest tempo. She probably should've gone with Mission Impossible, but it was far too late to switch now. 

As she reached the door, she knocked softly (to the same tune, of course), and waited a few moments before it was opened. A hand peaked around it, making a finger heart. Dahyun copied this gesture, putting her hand inside the room so it was visible to the person on the other side. The same hand from behind the door then coaxed her inside with its pointer finger, and with one final stride, she slipped through the frame carefully onto the carpet.

Momo cautiously slid the door closed. The two girls looked at each other for a moment and, in sync, pressed their ears to the wood, dramatically raising their eyebrows and widening their eyes. No footsteps heard within earshot. Momo raised her hand to give a thumbs up and winked - in quite an exaggerated manner, mouth agape and head slowly nodding - at Dahyun. Dahyun smiled, so wide she could barely see through her squinted eyes. She scurried over to the bed, Momo in tow, and stretched her legs out across it. She reached her arms out to Momo, who flashed an adorable toothy grin and bounced onto the bed in excitement. Their smiles were quickly replaced with winces as their heads knocked into each other.

Their mouths moved as if they were crying out in pain, but no sound emitted. Instead, they tightly gripped at their heads and squinted their eyes as tight as they could, careful not to be loud.

"Sorry," Momo whispered, still wincing from the pain but with concern in her eyes. Dahyun rubbed the sight of impact and attempted to neutralize her expression, clenching her teeth.

"It's alright," Dahyun whispered, letting out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Are you okay?"

Momo nodded, loosening the grip on her forehead and unscrunching her nose. "I hope I didn't get dumber again."

"Hey!" Dahyun scolded, smacking the side of Momo's head. Her eyes widened and she retracted her hands quickly as she realized what she'd just done. Momo winced again, cowering away instinctively. "Sorry! Sorry, crap, sorry sorry!" Dahyun apologized, cupping Momo's cheeks in her shaky hands and gently kissing the spot she'd hit. Momo squinted again, but this time accompanied by a smile and blushing cheeks. Upon noticing the reaction, Dahyun moved Momo's hand aside to kiss the injured spot on her forehead as well. Momo scrunched her body up and covered her face with her hands, cowering into Dahyun's shoulder as soft giggles erupted from her involuntarily. Dahyun chuckled and wrapped her arms around the (somehow) older one and patted her back gently.

"You're too adorable," Dahyun said. She held Momo back by her shoulders and pointed a stern finger in her face. "But no calling yourself dumb!"

"But-"

"Not allowed!" Dahyun reaffirmed, raising her chin and tilting her head to let Momo know she meant it. Momo sighed. She nodded in resignation.

Dahyun's narrow-eyed smile returned to her. "Let's try this again." She sat back against the headboard and stretched her arms out.

Momo shook her head and sat up straight. Dahyun cocked an eyebrow, but Momo paid no mind and sat back against the pillows. "My turn," Momo said as she pat the spot above her heart.

Dahyun rolled her eyes and sighed but obeyed, resting her head on Momo's chest and wrapping one arm tight around her waist. Momo clutched to Dahyun with one hand, stroking her hair with the other.

"What time did you say Jeongyeon would be back?" Dahyun asked, closing her eyes to revel in Momo's soft touch.

"I have no idea," Momo replied.

Dayhun opened her eyes and furrowed her brows. "Don't you think that's going to be important?"

"Probably."

Dahyun wanted to be annoyed but she couldn't help laughing at the elder's bluntness. "We should-" she said through giggles, "-we should probably come up with some sort of plan."

"You're right," Momo agreed, nodding her head. Dahyun waited for her to continue, but she said nothing. The younger looked up at the older with her eyebrows raised. Momo returned a puzzled expression. Dahyun gestured with her hand for Momo to keep speaking. "Well I don't have any ideas, do you?" Momo asked.

"...no," Dayhun replied, defeated, sinking back into Momo's chest. She furrowed her brows and moved her mouth to one side, thinking. "Okay, wait. She and Nayeon are rehearsing for their unit stage. Last time, they left at five, when did they come back?"

"Hm," Momo said, concentrating,"...no clue."

Dahyun sighed, "How do you not know? You're roommates, when did Jeongyeon come back in?"

"She came back late the past few times, I was asleep. You know I sleep like a rock."

"That is true," Dahyun agreed reluctantly. "I can't even wake you up to get you to stop snoring."

"Hey!" Momo exclaimed indignantly, far louder than she intended to. She quickly covered her mouth, sharing a wide-eyed gaze with Dahyun, who'd sat up, startled. Slowly, their focus shifted towards the door, in sync. A few lingering moments were filled with nothing but silence. They looked back at each other and sighed with relief, short-winded as a knock came at the door. They tensed back up, looking around the room for some sort of answer, when Dahyun perked up and leapt to her feet, shuffling to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Momo did her best to collect herself, putting her pointer fingers and pinkies together and taking a deep breath in before rising to answer the door.

Tzuyu stood on the other side looking equally puzzled and concerned. She rubbed her eyes and covered her mouth to yawn.

"Tzuyu! Good morning!" Momo greeted with an over-enthusiastic smile. "What's up? Any good.. dreams?"

"I just woke up but I heard a loud noise, is everything okay?" she asked softly, still fatigued.

"Oh, that, yeah, I'm fine!" Momo reassured. "Thanks for checking."

Dahyun was listening intently with her ear pressed against the bathroom door. She could just make out their conversation.

Momo bowed her head and started closing the door, but Tzuyu continued talking.

"Dayhun unnie-" she yawned, "-isn't in our room, have you seen her? She usually wakes up later."

"Oh-" Momo began, panicking, but she was interrupted by the sound of a flush and running sink water. Dahyun opened the bathroom door and stepped out, greeting Tzuyu with an equally enthusiastic smile.

"Good morning! Have you come to rehearse with us?" Dahyun asked.

"Rehearse?" Tzuyu said, squinting.

"Rehearse?" Momo mouthed silently.

"Momo was just helping me review some steps before we go to the studio this afternoon," Dahyun said, giving Momo a look that read 'just go with it.'

"Oh, yeah!" Momo said, nodding profusely and turning to Tzuyu. "And then she bumped into me and I said 'Hey! ...don't, don't do that...'"

Dahyun laughed. "My bad," she said, putting her palms up in the air.

Tzuyu was thankfully still too groggy to suspect anything of their terrible lying skills, but she still remained confused. "This early?"

Dahyun hesitated a moment and looked at Momo, then back to Tzuyu. "Yes," she said, nodding firmly with a smile. She stared at Tzuyu this way until the maknae finally replied.

"Okay... wait don't you know them by now?"

"Wellllll you can never be too prepared, right?" Dahyun grinned and looked to Momo. "Which is why we better get back to rehearsing! 5, 6, 7, 8"

Dahyun clapped her hands together as she counted and Momo quickly shuffled into place next to her. Without any clue as to where they were starting from, she waited for Dahyun to start singing and then joined in clumsily. 

"I wanna know, know, know, know," they sang, doing the choreography at full force. "What is love?" they sang confidently.

As they continued, Tzuyu watched with one eyebrow raised as she slowly backed out of the room, closing the door with her.

_Those two get weirder every day,_ Tzuyu thought as she stepped away.

The pair waited a good moment before they stopped dancing and caught their breath, relieved. Dahyun collapsed onto the bed and let out a long sigh. Momo tilted her head back and let her shoulders fall.

"Well," Momo said, "I guess we know what to tell Jeongyeon now."


	5. "Yoo Jeongyeon, you have a crush?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Dahyun Day!!!

Nayeon brushed through her silky black hair with care, staring into the mirror of her dressing room. _Send bigger signals._ Jihyo's words echoed in her head. She had put it off yesterday - and today so far - but she was determined this time. What was she so scared of, anyway? That Jeongyeon wouldn't like her back? That she'd be crushed from the rejection? That making her attraction so apparent could potentially ruin an eight year friendship with awkwardness, and thus she and her best friend could never be the same again?

...yes.

Nayeon stood to her feet in frustration, taking deep breaths in and out, pacing. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea. Jeongyeon was her closest friend, someone who's always had her back through everything. Who's been her shoulder to cry on countless times, gotten her out of bed when she was at her lowest, held her hand through the most difficult days of training. She was the one who, despite her age, took care of Nayeon when she couldn't take care of herself, she was her support system, her lifeline - how big of a cost was too much to take the risk?

Once again, Nayeon was torn, and decided to postpone her plan until further notice. She stuffed her brush into her backpack and took one last big breath, looking in the mirror. Turning on her heels, Nayeon kept her head up high and her shoulders back as she marched out her dressing room door. It was then that she spotted Jeongyeon right outside the other dressing room. She froze. Jeongyeon was speaking to their manager, fiddling with an earring she'd forgotten to take out. She laughed at her forgetfulness. And to the speed of her laughter, Nayeon's heart trembled.

Watching her laugh was like witnessing a flower bloom. She came to life, and it was beauty in its purest form. No one could argue against the beauty of a flower - no one would even attempt. There was simply no purpose in doing so.

What was she meant to do? This felt like destiny was handing her instructions. Was she supposed to protest?

Jeongyeon spotted Nayeon and waved, furrowing her eyebrows. Nayeon snapped out of her trance, blinking a few times to recollect herself, and waved back as she walked over to the younger. Their manager walked away as Nayeon approached.

"You okay?" Jeongyeon asked. Her voice was like sweet cream.

"Yeah, just tired," Nayeon lied, nodding her head and pretending to fix something on her shirt hem. "You ready to go?"

"Once I can get this earring out," Jeongyeon replied, still fidgeting with it. She squinted and let out an exasperated breath. "I think the back of it is stuck," she said.

Nayeon reached her hands forward to offer assistance, which Jeongyeon accepted after a couple more attempts to undo it herself. Part of her blonde hair came untucked from behind her ear. As Nayeon readjusted it, her fingers swam through its silky texture, and her nose sang from its scent. Her skin was soft to the touch, much unlike this rather difficult earring.

"God it's really stuck on there," Nayeon said.

Jeongyeon nodded, attempting to focus on anything other than the warmth of Nayeon's breath on her neck. Up close, she smelled like vanilla and lavender. It was intoxicating.

"Got it!" Nayeon exclaimed with a hearty tug, proudly presenting the two pieces to Jeongyeon. 

Jeongyeon bowed her head to thank her and let Nayeon drop the pieces into her palms, setting them just inside the dressing room. She shut the door, and they were off. 

"If you're tired you might need to sleep in the car again," Jeongyeon said. "You won't have much time to rest."

"Ah," Nayeon groaned, throwing her head back, "I forgot we have more rehearsals after this." She sighed and threw her bag into the back seat, sliding over to the other side. Jeongyeon climbed in behind her and exhaled loudly as she plopped down. 

"Livin' the dream," Jeongyeon teased as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Speaking of dreams," Nayeon said, resting her head on Jeongyeon's shoulder and clutching her arm, closing her eyes.

Jeongyeon scoffed and rolled her eyes, mouth agape. "Did I say you could sleep on me?"

Nayeon pretended to snore obnoxiously.

"Nayeon-ah!" Jeongyeon exclaimed, shaking the arm Nayeon was holding. It was no use, she wasn't budging.

Jeongyeon sighed and threw her head back, going limp and giving up. She stared out the window again, the city illuminated by daylight this time. She watched mothers hurrying their children through crosswalks, dog owners walking their pups, buskers desperately attempting to hand out fliers, couples holding hands as they walked down the street; normal, everyday life. It had been a while since Jeongyeon had been a part of that.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something warm in the palm of her hand. Looking down, she discovered it to be Nayeon's hand, fingers laced between her own. Her heart jumped.

"Unnie, what are you doing?" She asked frantically. She leaned forward to look at Nayeon's face: she was sound asleep. Dang, that girl could knock out fast. 

She did her best to steady her breath, which was, tragically, a miserable failure. She couldn't stop staring at their hands, intertwined, so perfectly fit together. It felt... natural. But why?

Nayeon nestled into Jeongyeon's shoulder further, which was definitely not helping. If Nayeon were awake to hear Jeongyeon's heartbeat, she'd certainly be alarmed. But Jeongyeon wouldn't know how to explain. She couldn't even explain it to herself. This whole experience was so peculiar, she was dumbfounded. Surely this had happened before? This was mild skinship at most, what was so different about this situation? It made no sense. It was so overwhelming, Jeongyeon started to panic. Her breathing picked up at an alarming rate, so violent it woke Nayeon up.

"Jeongyeon?" she said groggily, slowly raising her head up. She became much more alert when she saw Jeongyeon's face. "Jeongyeon!" She exclaimed, shaking her shoulder.

Jeongyeon snapped her head towards the elder and herself out of her trance. "What?" she asked, dazed, her breath steadying a bit. Nayeon's eyes somehow calmed her.

"What's wrong?"

"What?" Jeongyeon asked, blinking rapidly to try and come back to reality. "What, nothing, nothing I'm fine," she insisted, her breath still loud and unstable. Nayeon's hand was still attached to hers, yet only for a fleeting moment. It felt like a piece of her heart was ripped away when they separated.

Nayeon sat up and put an arm around the younger, cradling her head and stroking her hair. Jeongyeon settled into Nayeon's shoulder, closing her eyes. Nayeon nodded reassuringly to the driver that Jeongyeon would be alright, who looked back with concern while they were stopped at a red light. She pat the younger's head gently every so often, then returned to stroking her hair. To Jeongyeon, it felt like gentle ocean waves gliding across her, so calm, relaxing. But she couldn't take her eyes off Nayeon's other hand. It had sparked this whole reaction, and yet she wanted it back in her own. It belonged there.

She grabbed it. She had no idea when she'd done so, but she blinked, and it was hers again. Nayeon didn't protest, didn't even think twice, just gave her whatever she needed to feel secure. That was her top priority.

When the car arrived back at the dorm, Nayeon made the decision to lead her best friend back to her room, just to be sure she was okay. She thanked the driver, Jeongyeon only able to give a quick bow of her head, and kept her hand in Jeongyeon's. It was out of character how comfortable the younger seemed to be with this gesture, but she showed no signs of wanting to let go. Nayeon had to admit, although it wasn't her reason for keeping it that way, it felt wonderful.

Jeongyeon was silent the entire way. It was late morning, so most of the members had woken up - all except Mina, to no surprise. A few were gathered in the living room when the two eldest members arrived. 

"So you're telling me Dahyun actually woke up _early_ just to rehearse... for rehearsal?" Jihyo asked, bewildered.

"I think they're still in there," Tzuyu answered, barely believing the words out of her mouth and pointing in the direction of Momo's room. "I know Momo's a dance machine but how long can they keep practicing?"

Jihyo and Chaeyoung sat back into the couch cushions with a matching expression that could only be described as "wtf." Sana, propped up on the armrest, held her mouth to one side, squinting. Tzuyu, sitting in a chair adjacent from them, just shrugged her shoulders. Jihyo turned her head to spot Nayeon and Jeongyeon as they entered the room.

"Good morning!" she sang, hopping to her feet to hug the two with a wide grin on her face. "How was rehearsal?"

Nayeon opened her mouth to speak right as Jihyo noticed Jeongyeon's frazzled state. However, before anyone could say anything-

"Hey, Jeongyeon never holds my hand like that!" Sana complained, noticing the oldest's intertwined fingers. "Not fair, you always refuse me when I try to do that."

"Sana, the three of us have been friends for eight years, don't you think she'd be more comfortable with Nayeon than you?" Jihyo defended, realizing quickly that Jeongyeon was in no state to argue against the teasing, or speak at all, really.

"Hmph." Sana pouted, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip. She plopped down into Jihyo's spot on the couch and stared straight forward. Chaeyoung pat her head.

"Jeongyeon, I think you still have my lipstick I let you borrow the other day, could I come get it?" Jihyo asked. Jeongyeon understood immediately and nodded. As soon as they were far enough down the hall to be out of view from the others, Jihyo put her hand on Jeongyeon's back, rubbing it gently as they walked.

Jihyo opened the door to the sound of bed springs. Turning the corner around the bathroom, she saw Momo and Dahyun, dancing their parts to the bridge of "What is Love," looking quite startled.

"What on earth are you two still doing in here?" Jihyo asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"Rehearsing," Dahyun and Momo replied in sync, still dancing.

"For four hours? Tzuyu says she heard you guys at seven this morning," Jihyo interrogated. Nayeon and Jeongyeon came up behind her looking equally bewildered. Jeongyeon still clung to Nayeon's hand, and in fact squeezed it tighter without noticing.

"Yes," Dahyun and Momo replied in sync again.

"Okay stop dancing!" Jihyo instructed. Dahyun and Momo halted and stood up straight, turning towards Jihyo. "We have rehearsal in an hour, take a break. Have you even eaten breakfast?"

Their faces dropped and they looked at the floor, shaking their heads with guilt. 

Jihyo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Go eat."

Dahyun gave a small bow and the two of them silently head towards the door. Jihyo lowered her hands and exhaled heavily. "Hey wait," Momo said, stopping in her tracks and turning back around to face them. "You two don't live in here, why are you in our room?"

The group was silent for a moment. Dahyun and Momo crossed their arms, jutting out one hip and squinting.

Nayeon raised her chin and looked both of them in the eyes. "Why did we hear the mattress moving when we walked in?"

Jeongyeon and Jihyo copied Nayeon's stern expression, staring at the two across from them. Momo and Dahyun's faced dropped, as did their arms. They looked at each other for a moment in silence, then back to the three. Quickly, they bowed and left the room with no explanation.

Jihyo stepped around Nayeon to shut the door while Nayeon lead Jeongyeon over to sit on the bed with her. Jihyo returned and squatted down in front of Jeongyeon, patting her knee. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Jeongyeon shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure what to tell you, really." She stared into her lap.

Jihyo gave a puzzled look to Nayeon, hoping she'd explain what Jeongyeon meant.

"I think she had a panic attack in the car," Nayeon explained. "We're not really sure why, though."

Jihyo nodded in understanding and looked back to Jeongyeon. "It might help to eat something. You've been active for a while."

Jeongyeon nodded, still staring down.

Nayeon perked up and shifted in Jeongyeon's direction. "That tteokbokki recipe I have! The one that only takes like ten minutes, would you like that?" she asked.

Jeongyeon looked up at the madnae "You don't have to-" she began softly.

"I'll be back!!" Nayeon announced, jumping up with glee and charging out of the room. Jeongyeon's hand was left cold and empty.

Jihyo pat Jeongyeon's knee again, bringing her attention back. "Lay down for a bit, okay?"

Jeongyeon nodded and with that, Jihyo stood to her feet and started to leave.

"Jihyo-" Jeongyeon called. The leader came to a hault and spun back around.

"Could I actually... ask you for some advice?" Jeongyeon muttered.

Jihyo nodded quickly and returned to the bed, this time sitting criss-crossed on top of it. Jeongyeon copied this position across from her. "What's up?" she asked.

"Have you ever... how do I explain this-" Jeongyeon began, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. "Have you ever felt - different around one of your friends?"

Jihyo looked up and hummed in thought. "Different how?"

"I don't know, like... like your bond is just... not like one you've had with - well, anyone?"

"I suppose, yeah," Jihyo said, nodding and putting her hands on her knees. "I mean, I have a lot stronger bond with you and Nayeon than pretty much anyone."

"Yeah, but... I don't mean like that," Jeongyeon said. She sighed and covered her face with her hands, frustrated. 

"Hey, take your time," Jihyo assured, rubbing Jeongyeon's shoulder. Jeongyeon uncovered her face and rested her chin on her hands again, looking at the floor beside her.

"Have you ever felt something entirely unique around one of your friends... one you can't even explain, that seems - natural but, not at the same time?"

"Hmmm, well... what happens exactly?" Jihyo rested her cheek in her palm.

"Like, your heart speeds up a little? And you _really_ care what they think about you for some reason - but not because they're judging you, just-" Jeongyeon trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence.

"I mean - yeah - when I had my first crush," Jihyo replied, laughing.

Jeongyeon's eyes widened. She looked straight at Jihyo. Realizing how obvious she was being, she attempted to neutralize her expression, but it was too late. Jihyo knew her too well.

Jihyo gasped and sat up straight. "Yoo Jeongyeon, you have a crush on someone?!"

"No!" Jeongyeon lied. It was useless, Jihyo saw right through her.

"Yoo Jeongyeonnn!" Jihyo squealed. "Wait - I'm not supposed to encourage this. Oh, but I want to - okay, no. But anyway, who even is he?"

Jeongyeon's heart sank as she opened her mouth, attempting to explain her way out of this. Just then, Nayeon burst through the door with a hot bowl of tteokbokki, chopsticks, and a napkin. Jihyo and Jeongyeon turned their heads toward the madnae as she rushed in.

"Be careful, it's still pretty hot!" she warned, setting the bowl on Jeongyeon's nightstand. Jeongyeon's eyes were glued to Nayeon. Nayeon picked up a piece and blew on it, keeping her hand underneath it to prevent the sauce from dripping on the floor, and held it in front of Jeongyeon's mouth.

Jeongyeon stared at it for a moment before she registered what was happening, then sighed. "Nayeon-ah, I can eat on my own," she argued.

"Unnie made you a meal and you thank her by refusing her kind service? Open your mouth!" Nayeon demanded. Jeongyeon sighed and did as she was told, covering her mouth as she chewed. It tasted like heaven, and her shoulders relaxed as soon as the flavors met her tongue.

"Good?" Nayeon asked, already knowing the answer. Jeongyeon smiled and nodded her head. Nayeon jumped up and down, clapping and showing off that bunny smile of hers, which only made Jeongyeon grin wider. Nayeon fed Jeongyeon another bite, which Jeongyeon this time accepted without hesitation.

Jihyo sat in silence and observed them, carefully.


End file.
